Master Your Money

Master Your Money *****
by Ron Blue

The sub-title of this book is "A step-by-step plan for experiencing financial contentment." That subtitle does a great job of summing up the book. The book does walk you through how to biblically handle finances in many different aspects.

The book is full of charts and worksheets to help you assess where you currently are financially and then to create a personal financial plan.

The book speaks on debt, taxes, investing, stewardship, common financial mistakes to avoid, and more.

This is a great resource to work through from front to back and then to return to as a reference.

This book was originally published thirty years ago. In this new edition, the author and his son add comments at the end of each chapter in a section called "Thirty Years of Reflection." It's interesting to read those perspectives from different generations.

I received this book for free from the publisher for an honest review.

Greek for Everyone

Greek for Everyone *****
by A. Chadwick Thornhill

This thorough book begins with an introduction to the Greek language, explanations on how to pronounce the alphabet, and from there it dives in deeper than I could understand into the Greek language. I was quickly lost in the nominative, accusative, vocative, genitive and dative cases.

I think I will slowly try to bite off little pieces of this book. I realized it isn't a book you can just read through and understand. My first step needs to be to revisit the first chapter and stay there until I can memorize the Greek alphabet.

The book is very well-written and clear, or as clear as possible when trying to explain Greek! The book has some helpful charts. There were also helpful chapters on Greek reference tools, on comparing different English Bible translations, on doing word studies, etc.

I would recommend this book to someone who already had some knowledge of Greek as a refresher or a dedicated scholar.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Unlocking the Bible

Unlocking the Bible  *****
by Jeff Lasseigne

This book uses simple and easy to understand language to explain the Bible. It covers topics such as how we got the Bible, how we can trust it, the overview of the Old and New Testaments, and explains the historical context of the 400 year break between the two testaments. It also covers methods of studying and teaching the Bible. Then, the second half of the book has an overview of every book of the Bible. 

I have read a lot of books about the Bible at Bible college and as a part of my own study after that. This book is unusual in that it is so easy to understand. The author explains that it is helpful to have a road map to help you understand the greater picture of the whole Bible. This book lays out a wonderful map. That way as you are reading through the Bible, you can see how it all fits together. It also helps having some of the historical events of the Bible times explained clearly, too. The author is also humorous and truly enjoyable to read. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is just beginning to read the Bible or has been reading it for awhile but wants to understand it better.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Natural Color

Natural Color: Vibrant Plant Dye Projects for your Home and Wardrobe  *****
by Sasha Duerr

This is a beautiful, hardcover book on how to dye fabric using plants. I was pleased to see that these methods are pretty simple and use mostly things I have on hand. The book is divided by the seasons and shows you how you can use seasonal plants for various dyes. There is also instruction on how to do some more specialty dyeing such as block printing, dip dyeing, and fancy tie dyeing. She also talks about the art of dyeing and its history.

I want to first try dyeing with avacado pits. The pits can produce a beautiful pink or blue dye depending on some different factors. 

She shows you how to dye all kinds of fabrics as well. I'll probably start with a cheaper fabric, but you can dye silks and beautiful wools...all kinds of things.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to try a new project. The book itself is fun to look through because of the beautiful pictures and the smooth feel to the paper.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Christ in the Sabbath

Christ in the Sabbath  *****
by Rich Robinson

Overview: This book traces the Jewish practice of honoring the Sabbath from the Old Testament through the New Testament. It covers how and why they celebrated each week and how things changed with Jesus. The book ends with a discussion on whether or not Christians should still keep a day set apart for rest and spiritual reflection. The book has some really interesting appendixes about Jewish Sabbath celebrations and rules, Sabbath songs, and a list of books for more in depth study on the Sabbath.

Positive elements: The book is well-organized and easy to read. The language is very simple. Each chapter is broken down into smaller sections and pull-out notes. It's easy to read ahead if you just want to read about a particular subject.

Negative elements: none

Conclusion: I've been thinking of how to incorporate routines of rest into our lives. I don't want to turn into a too busy family. The idea behind the Sabbath day of rest is to take time each week to rest and refocus spiritually. I enjoyed reading this book and thinking more deeply about the message of the Sabbath from a Jewish believer's perspective.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The Temple and the Tabernacle

The Temple and the Tabernacle  *****
by J. Daniel Hays

Overview: This is the story of God's dwelling with mankind first in the garden, then through the tabernacle and later the temple. The author is making the case that the whole story of the Old and New Testaments is centered around God being with us. He was with us in perfect fellowship in the garden at creation. Then after sin, mankind was seperated from God's presence. When Moses built the Tabernacle (the tent where God met with the people), he again could meet with God but not directly. There was always a barrier of some sort such as smoke, and the Israeties couldn't go into the most Holy Place inside the Tabernacle. When Solomon built the temple (a more permanent dwelling place for God), people again were seperated from being in God's direct presence like in the Tabernacle. However, after Jesus dies for our sins and raises again, we become the new Tabernacle. We house the presence of God...the Holy Spirit. No longer does sin cause any seperation between us and God.

Positive elements: Beautiful, full-color pictures, glossy pages, great diagrams, well-organized

Negative elements: The book is a bit repetitive. Parts of it also had more details than I cared to know.

Conclusion: This is a great resource book to introduce people to the two temples and the Tabernacle of the Bible and how important they were to the Christian faith.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Pure Delicious

Pure Delicious
by Heather Christo

In the beginning of the book, Heather Christo shares her story about discovering the food allergies in her family. She speaks candidly of the difficulties in altering the way you eat. But she is so encouraging that the health benefits make it worth it. She isn't writing as a doctor but simply as a mom and a chef. 

All of the recipes in this book are free from the eight top allergens: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, or cane sugar. 

This glossy-paged cookbook has a huge variety of recipes, and almost every recipe has a full color picture. 

I am so excited to try recipes out of this cookbook! I have a limited diet, so it is hard to find new and interesting foods to try. These recipes look doable and delicious!
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

8 Great Smarts

8 Great Smarts *****
by Kathy Koch, PhD

Every kid is smart...just in different ways. This book explores eights different intelligences and how to spot them in your children. When we know how our kids think and learn, we can better help them, teach them, and support them. We all have bits of these different intelligences, but we each have different areas of strength. Dr. Koch says that as parents we can encourage growth in our children, and we can also stifle growth. She also says that too much technology can prevent our kids from becoming good thinkers or being "smart."

I already knew about different learning styles, but this book goes beyond learning styles. It talks about how these different intelligences affect our learning styles and how we relate to others.  For example, she talked about body smart people need to physically move to process ideas. So, if a kid is doodling while you are talking, it doesn't mean they aren't listening. The doodling actually helps them to listen better and process ideas.

The book also has a code to do an online survey to help discover how your child thinks best. After reading the book, it's pretty easy to figure out your child's intelligences. I still took the test for my older daughter just to see what it was like. The test told me what I already knew...my oldest daughter is people smart.

I think this book would be helpful for parents to understand their children better...and even understand themselves better.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child

Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child: Facing the Challenges with Strength, Courage and Hope  *****
by Boris Vujicic

Nick Vujicic, the man without arms or legs, has become pretty well-known as a motivational speaker. This is a book written by his dad about parenting a special needs child. The books begins with their shock of delivering a baby without limbs and trying to decide if they should keep him or give him up to someone more qualified and able to raise him. Boris Vujicic speaks candidly of the joys and challenges of raising a child with so many physical needs. He talks about the importance of being your child's advocate for good health care and the challenges that come with schooling. Siblings are discussed and how to make sure one child doesn't take too much time away from the family as a whole. He writes about the challenges in his marriage and in coming to terms with the fact that God hasn't healed his son. In the end, he shares how his son Nick has gone way beyond what he could have ever dreamed he could achieve. 

The end of each chapter has a summary of things to remember from the chapter. Also, there are a few pages of full color photos of Nick growing up.

This is Boris Vujicic's first book. The writing is a bit choppy, but the message is a powerful one. God has made each child individually and for a purpose. Having a child with special needs can be very challenging, but the rewards can be beyond what you could imagine. I would recommend this book to any parents as an encouraging look at one family's story.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.  

Africa Study Bible

Africa Study Bible

Tyndale is preparing to release this Bible aimed to help English speaking Africans better understand and study the Bible.

“With the ASB, we’re bringing the power of Scripture to Africa in a new and culturally relevant way,” says Dr. Matthew Elliott, president of Oasis International, publisher of the Africa Study Bible. “Under the leadership of an 11-member editorial board of scholars from across Africa, we’ve brought together350 writers and editors from over 40 African countries, representing 50 denominations. This is an unprecedented project that will impact the global church.”

Tyndale says, "Designed to grow the faith of African church members, teach them to evangelize their communities, and apply a biblical worldview to their society, the ASB uses the New Living Translation and includes 2,400 plus features such as application notes, stories and proverbs, touchpoints that link Africa and the Bible, learn notes that explain basic theology, and major theme articles that apply the Bible to key issues."

I have seen downloaded excerpts of the Bible. I read from Genesis 1. There are a lot of foot notes and study helps, it seems.

I was asked by Tyndale Publishers and Oasis International to spread the word about this new Bible. Oasis International is raising one million dollars to help print the first 100,000 copies of the new Africa Study Bible.

You can check out the Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the Bible here

I guess I'm just a little sad that one million dollars will be raised and spent to publish yet another English Bible. There are so many languages in the world that don't have ONE Bible yet. And I truly believe that the Bible is powerful to change lives in any culture...even without having specific footnotes. 

Healing the Wounded Heart

Healing the Wounded Heart  *****
by Dan B. Allender

This book is truly about what the subtitle says..."The heartache of sexual abuse and the hope of transformation." The first part of the book is about how sexual abuse harms the heart and why that harm is so deep and long lasting. The second part of the book is about what the road to healing looks like.

I was hesitant to read this book because so often ignorance is bliss. However, God has brought some people into my life who have suffered from sexual abuse. As much as I want to pretend these horrors do not really exist, I know they do and I should seek to understand if I can help the healing process in any way.

This book is really long and in depth. I skipped some of the chapters that didn't seem to apply as much. And a few chapters I skimmed just because they were so hard to read. The book seemed balanced in that it talked about the subject from so many different angles. I learned about the brain and how it is affected by sexual abuse. I learned about why people behave certain ways after abuse. I learned about different kinds of sexual abuse and signs that they are occurring. And in the end, I was left with some hope. I think I also gained some understanding as to the depth of the pain these people have gone through so that I can be more empathetic to their current struggles. And while the author says that these victims won't be fully healed until heaven, God can begin to heal, and He can use me in that process.

This isn't a light read or a fun read, but I would recommend it. We are surrounded by sexual abuse, and I feel like we need to ask God what our part is in ending it and supporting those who have already endured it.
  
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.  

More than Conquerors

More than Conquerors  *****
by William Hendriksen
This is a step-by-step walk through the book of Revelation. It begins by addressing the overall set-up of the book of Revelation, the audience, the author of the book, etc. Then it moves into taking a deeper look at each of the chapters.
I've been reading through a chapter or two a day. This is a book that you have to read slowly to absorb all the depth and details. The book is easy to read in that it is very well-written. There are some big "Christian" words that might stump a newer believer such as "dispensations." (It took me awhile at Bible college to figure that one out.) But I do think that anyone could pick this up and read through it and really come to a deeper understanding of the book of Revelation. And hopefully a deeper love for God. 
This book was first published in 1940, so it has truly stood the test of time!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Honey for a Child's Heart

Honey for a Child's Heart
by Gladys Hunt

Someone recommended this wonderful book to me recently. This resource is full of great books to read, and they are organized by age and topic. For example, they have a chapter on books for new readers. I've loved that chapter because sometimes it is hard to find interesting books that my first grader can read. There are chapters on themes including fantasy, historical, holiday, animal lover, etc. They also divide up books by age: 4-8, 9-12, 12-14. 

Many of the books I review on this blog come from recommendations from this book. I highly recommend it!